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Wednesday, 25 June 2008

Happy Birthday

It's my son's birthday today. It is hard to believe that 10 years have already gone by!

This is the first time he told me that he will not want to throw a birthday party...he doesn't want me to be busy preparing for the party and cleaning up after it is over. How thoughtful of him :)

I offered to make a durian mousse cake for him, since he loves this fruit and I have been waiting for an occasion to try out this recipe. He told me to bake something else as his younger brother hates durians. In the end, we decided to make a mango mousse cake.

On Sunday night, we had a mini-party with just the four of us to celebrate the occasion. The birthday cake was made with layered sponge cake filled with mango mousse. I baked the sponge layer using this recipe which has became my favourite. I made the mousse layer following this recipe shared by Florence. Instead of decorating the cake with whipping cream, I made a mirror layer using a mixture of mango cordial, water and gelatin powder. As requested by the birthday boy, we left the cake plain, without any decoration. We loved the taste of the cake...especially the mousse layer which was very delicious. It was a joy to watch the boys wiped out every single crumb on their plates. My husband helped himself with another bigger slice before we could finish ours!

Welcome back hhb! :) Oh, happy belated birthday to your son, hope I'm not too late to send my warm wishes to him. :P Yeah, he is such a thoughtful boy. ;)

I like this cake. :D I'm going to try making it this sat. Pray hard it turns out successfully especially the mirror layer so that I could make this for my sister on her birthday since she loves mango. :)

Btw, what's the difference between this sponge cake recipe and the one u did in "Peach Layered Sponge Cake"? So far I bake the sponge cake according to Peach Layered Sponge Cake recipe, but the result wasn't very satisfactory - not as soft and fluffy as shown in your pictures, though still edible...keke

Hi Quizzine, this recipe is for a 18cm pan size which I find which is just nice for our small family. The other one under "Peach Layered Sponge Cake" is for a 20cm cake. I find that this 18cm recipe yields softer sponge layer and not as dry.To have a soft and fluffy sponge cake, do remember to beat the eggs till the batter turns ribbon like...leaving a trail behind when u lift up the beater; and fold in the flour lightly with a spatula. Also dont over bake the cake. Hope this helps & do let me know if u have any questions.

helllo,happy belated birthday to you boy!anyway,i have made the sponge cake recently and made it the swiss roll way.but it came out very hard.is it because of the size of the tray?when it came out,it was like 1.5 to 2 cm in thickness.the texture of the cake was very hard.i did follow the receipe closely.please tell me the reaons why.THANKS!

tks for your advice. actually i had problem in determining 'ribbon' state, so i beat the egg mixture till stiff. would this cause the cake to be not soft and fluffy? leaving a trail - does it mean the mixture would be a bit watery? Will try out this receipe next week as i'm planning to bake a cake for my aunty's birthday. in fact, would like to thank you for giving me the 'courage' to try baking a cake, after seeing your step-by-step guidance in one of your posts ;-) You make it sound so easy! Arigato!

Hi quizzine, you can refer to this video clip by Alice Medrich (http://www.pbs.org/juliachild/meet/medrich.html#), select the one under 'chocolate genoise cake'...it shows the ribbon like stage, and the correct method of folding in the flour. You can also do a search on Youtube, I am sure you will be able to find something on making a sponge cake...coz a video clip really helps. I use a handheld mixer to beat the eggs, usually it will take me about 7-8mins on High speed to reach the ribbon like stage. You can use this as a gauge. I wish u great success in your next attempt :)

I have decided to postphone the making to next week. :) However, I need your advice. Can you please advice what is the qty required for making the mirror layer? Pardon me from asking, what is mango cordial? ;P

Hi Melody, mango cordial is a concentrated fruit drink (something like ribena) or also known as squash. I happened to have a bottle (bought from Carrefour, are you a local? coz I can't seems to access your blog via your blogger profile). Initially I wanted to try making the mirror layer with the remaining ready-made mango puree (bought from Phoon Huat), but decided not to, as I noticed the puree has got lots of pulps and the mirror layer will not be clear. Alternatively, I think you can make the mirror layer using flavoured jelly crystals...just follow the instructions on the package, and spoon over about 150ml of the jelly liquid over the mousse layer.

Here's how I made the mirror layer:1. Measure 100ml of water into a bowl. 2.Sprinkle in 2 teaspoons of gelatin powder. Do not stir. Let the gelatin powder swell (about 10mins).3. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water, and stir to dissolve the gelatin completely.4. Add in 60ml of mango cordial into the gelatin solution, mix well.5. Leave at room temperature to cool completely (this is important), before spooning over to the mousse cake. Do make sure the mousse cake has already been set...otherwise, you will not get a clear mirror layer. I prepared the mirror layer while the mousse cake has been chilled in the fridge for at least 2 hr. 6. Chill the whole cake in fridge till the mirror layer is set.btw, this is my 2nd attempt, the first one, I used fresh mangoes. I couldnt get fresh mangoes for this cake as it was a last min decision!

Hi HHB,I tried your basic sponge cake yesterday, but it didn't turn out well at all! :(Can you tell me how do you fold your flour into the egg & sugar mixture? I poured a little at a time, fearing that the flour will not mix thoroughly. By the time I managed to fold in all the flour, the mixture was reduced to half already! :( When I poured the mixture after adding the rest of the ingredients, I knew it was already not right. The batter was so little & so flat. In the oven, it didn't rise a bit. I always have problem trying such a method. Can you advise please? Thank you very much. Btw, this is the picture of my sponge cake: http://www.dumpr.net/photo/da9779236c92d714/

Hi Jane, sorry to hear about your unsuccessful attempt :(Did you beat the egg and sugar till it reach the ribbon-like stage...the batter should become thick and pale. I add in the flour in 3 additions...folding it into the egg batter using a spatular. The final batter should be able to fill up to at least 2/3 of ht of the cake pan. Did you take a look at the video demo under the Meiji website? It has a good demon on how to fold in the flour.

Hi HHB,Thanks for your analysis and the guide to watch the video. I did reach the ribbon stage. It was my folding that ruined the air bubbles. I'll try again. After viewing the video, it looks quite easy leh! But it's still the skill that counts! ;)Btw, you can easily pose off the video as made by you. The santa claus in the video doesn't look any different from yours! Hahaha...:)Thanks! I will try it again!

hello,for the basic sponge cake, after baking,would it rise or remain at the height when the batter is poured in?as for the flour.should i pour in all together or like a few times?because i've done the cake 2 days ago i have encountered these problems.when i left it to cool,my cake shrank!issit normal for this to happen?the colour did not turn out like in the meiji video.the taste of the cake is chew-y.not light, refreshing and soft like you mentioned in the santa claus post.sorry to 'bomb' you with many questions.

Hi bakingislove, the finished cake should rise after baking. It will shrink a little upon cooling, but not too much. You can add in the flour in three separate additions, or, sieve over the flour gradually and fold in at the same time. The cake should be soft and light. I do not know what causes the chewy texture in your cake...and I am not sure what you meant by the colour? Was it too light or over brown? Do take note that the video clip uses a different recipe...I posted it just to share on the decorating part.

Hi HHB,I tried the sponge cake again on Friday evening. This time, it was much better! I watched the video and followed it. Somehow, the upper part of the cake was quite soft, but the lower part (where I cut them for layering) was tougher. I wondered if the melted butter has settled to the bottom, causing the lower half to be tougher. Anyway, it's not easy to bake this "simple, basic" cake. I will try again! Thanks for your sharing!

Hi Jane, I dont think it is the melted butter...as you would have mixed it into the batter? or you didn't mix it well? if not it could be your oven temperature...the bottom temperature is higher than the top?

thanks for showing the vedio clips how to bake. as i am first time i'm going to bake could u pls. suggest me i have bought self raising flour for this cake is it ok. as u have written in ur ingredients to use cake flour.

Hi Miz, I have sent u an email on 15 July, but so far I have not heard from you, hope you've got my email message.

Hi Maria, You will need to use cake flour for this recipe. Self raising flour has got baking powder added in it, which is not required in this sponge cake recipe. As such, to avoid undesirable outcome, I would advise you to get cake flour instead.

I really love ur blog.. and all ur creation.. they looks so yummy!!! :)you make us (beginner) that never spend time in the kitchen before to actually wanting to start having some action in the kitchen ^_^ now that im married, i think it is time *sigh* =P

i have plenty of recipes that i want to give a try and will let you know how I goes..wish me luck :)

I have one question though to begin with..for cake flour, is it the same as plain flour?? (hope this is not a silly question ^-^)

Hi lil'goon, thanks for your kind words :)Cake flour is different from plain flour. You can refer to this site: joyofbaking.com or baking911.com for the details on the different types of flour. and don't worry about asking 'silly' questions, I have many such kind of questions too!

hi HHB,its me again.. thank u for ur reply :) i have finally got the cake flour the other day and tried this mango cake..everything turns out okay, except the cake was very dry, not soft and light as yours :( (i guess i have to keep practicing..) also, the cake decoration with the mirror is very messy :P i cant get the smooth yellow mirror like urs (still can see the bottom of the white mango mousse) did u use something to hold on the side so the jelly does not flow to the side when you pour them?? hope to get an advice from you and i will keep on practicing..:) last question, can i actually substitute sponge cake with chiffon cake (since chiffon is always softer in texture)?? hope this is not another silly question :P happy day HHB!!

Hi lil'goon, you can always make a chiffon cake, it's a matter of preference. I use a sponge cake as I have no confidence with making chiffon cakes ;)I assemble the cake inside the pan, I didn't have any problem with the jelly layer flowing to the side. How did you assemble yours?

Hi HHB,I know its an old post, but I hope you could note my question.I just tried to make one for my hubby (its now in the fridge). The sponge cake part was fine. This was my very first time making a mousse cake. So I really don't know whether my mousse was in a correct form. It was not semi-liquid at all. Its actually solid. It wouldn't drip to the sides when I poured it onto the cake. Do you think it was too much gelatin (I followed Florence's recipe, which say 17g)? Or I over whipped the cream so it was too stiff?

Hi Amy, I am sorry, I'm not sure what went wrong, but I don't think it is the gelatin as it will not set so fast. The mousse is almost like mayonnaise, it is not thin and runny. It is more 'spreadable' than 'pourable'.

Hi HHB, i use a cake ring too.. plus an acetate strip.. but it's still not smooth like yours.. maybe i shld try without the strip on my next attempt ;) Thanks!!.. i simply love all your bakes! how i wish mine can turn out like yours! ;))

I've always been a fan of Florence's blog, but unfortunately today, when I decided to finally make mango mousse cake, =( her blog is now only open for invited readers. I've been wanting to make her mango mousse cake for so long and now sadly I don't have the slightest idea of the recipe to make hers and your mousse.

Hi Gaya, I will try to post the recipe here when I can find the time. In the mean while, you can hop over here:(http://blessedhomemaker.blogspot.com/2009/07/mango-mousse-cake_24.html) for a similar recipe posted by another blogger. Hope this helps.

hi hhb,how do you spoon the clear jelly over the cake? i leave it cool at room temp..but then it is stil watery...so do i pour over the top of the cake? will e cake bcome sloggy since e clear jelly is still watery?

Hi, yes, you can spoon the jelly (still watery) over the cake, just make sure that the mousse cake has already been set...otherwise, you will not get a clear mirror layer. I prepared the mirror layer only after the mousse cake has been chilled in the fridge for at least 2 hr.

hi HHB, i think i do wrongly on the mango cake. i did not put mousse on top of it..however, i discover my mistake after i post my comment to you..sorry for asking a stupid qns...

btw..may i know does your cake become harder after you put in fridge over nite? i did not cover the cake, i jus put into the fridge.or should i just reduce my baking time to 20mins instead of 30mins so that the cake do not taste hard?

Hi, no worries :)The sponge cake layer will tend to turn dry, so best is cover the cake when you leave in the fridge. Maybe also because you did not cover the cake with mousse? If you reduce the baking time, the sponge cake may be under cooked.